Blog Sixteen

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/world/middleeast/syria-meets-deadline-for-arms-destruction-plan.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

In "Syria Meets Deadline for Arms Destruction Plan," Nick Cumming-Bruce writes about a very interesting and unexpected occurrence regarding Syria. Anyone with a slight idea of current events knows that the Middle East, specifically Syria is one of the most conflicted regions in history. The "civil" war in Syria is one of the most talked about and politically engaging topics. The international community avoided heavy military response, and due to Putin's pushing agreed on a peaceful diplomatic way to settle the conflict. There is still fighting to this day, but Assad's regime has successfully created a plan which destroys their chemical arsenal three days ahead of schedule. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is in charge of destroying the weapons. Countries such as the United States have been accusing Syria of not listing at least twenty two chemical weapons sites. It is a great occurrence  however, when a country that is accused of being run by crooks and criminals goes the extra mile to prove to the international community that their ability to run a country is greater than anyone thought. By the middle of 2014, Syria's chemical arsenal of weapons is expected to be destroyed. This destruction of arms plan includes eradicating Syria's capabilities to create and weaponize more chemicals.

The American Ally Who Cannot Move Forward

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/20/netanyahu-pressure-iran_n_4132088.html

Israel is one of the most controversial countries in the world. Since its inception in the 1950's: Palestine has lost a majority of its lands, the Middle East is at unrest, and the United States' wallet gets emptier by the week, all due to Israel. Israel is one of the few nations that has a nuclear arms program. Just like India, Pakistan, and South Africa, it is one the nations in the world who runs a nuclear program illegally. Although it is a signatory of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, it is one of two states that has yet to ratify it. Iran has recently been accused of developing a nuclear program for military use. After harsh diplomatic tensions arose during the past administrations, newly elected moderate president Hassan Rouhani has allowed for transparency for the nuclear program. After the International communities are ready to start peace talks, the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who declared that this was an undesirable action. The international community should be more harsh and strict regarding Iran. Should the International community desire peace, or conflict? Israel believes conflict. It is not a good choice, and is even considered immoral. It is up to the international community to decide.

Congress' Bipartison Effort (Not a Joke)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/boehner-tells-house-gop-negotiations-have-ended/2013/10/12/fa0d3f42-334a-11e3-9c68-1cf643210300_story.html?wpmk=MK0000205

Anyone with a infinitismal idea of the political situation in the United States knows very well that Congress has run into a few issues. It is clear that the root of the problems is party politics; the personal agenda pf party leaders who are either to liberal or to conservative that own dictionaries missing the word "compromise". The defunding of the Affordable Health Care Act was a process that right wing Conservatives believed to be smooth. It resulted, however, in one of the largest government shutdowns in United States history. It is now this partisan gridlock that prevents the United States government from raising the debt ceiling. It is unfortunate that the secretary of  the Treasury can barely balance the nation's books and soon will be unable to pay the government's bills. The most significant of these payments are the bond interests owed to countries such as China and Japan. These countries are more than willing to collect the trillion dollars in capital owned in bonds. If the decision to collect is made, the United States is far from able to allocate the necessary funding. It is therefore the responsibility of the egotistic and far from serviceful public servants to halt the  effects of this gridlock and move beyond political agenda  to do what they got elected for. It does not seem that constituents are pleased with a representative who cannot focus on one collective mission: do what is best for these United States of America.

How the Shutdown Affects the United States' International Activities

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/white-house-warns-us-sanctions-regime-against-iran-at-risk-due-to-government-shutdown/2013/10/04/6577656e-2d24-11e3-b141-298f46539716_story.html

It pretty much goes without saying that the Founding Fathers of the United States of America are rolling over in their graves knowing that the individuals who represent the most powerful branch of the federal government cease to represent the best interests of nation and instead try to win partisan victories. Each Congressman has the power to do what is right, and as unimaginable as it may seem, compromise. Congress' inability to compromise and do right resulted in a partial government shutdown starting October 1, 2013. The shutdown affects all but the security forces and, ironically, Congress. 

This shutdown, according to White House spokesman Jay Carney, has caused the department of the Treasury to furlough the entire staff that handles the sanctions on Iran. This is a very obvious issue, because Congress' unwillingness to compromise affects the core functions of that department. These sanctions are not just for Iran, the new ones on Syria, drug cartels, and other syndicate groups also have no U.S. government body that can penalize the sanction violators. 

This shutdown allows for many individuals to criticize the United States. Now that the United States has re-opened partial diplomatic ties with Iran, Israel and other nations are concerned.

Presentation Critique

The "Ballot or the Bullet" speech delivered by Malcolm X is considered one of the best delivered speeches with pertaining to civil rights. How unfortunate that the colored man must pay the price of the white man's greed and abuse of power, and the result of this hatred and bigotry is only more hatred and violence. Malcolm X's revolutionary philosophy and ideology was polar to his counterpart Martin Luther King Jr. In this particular speech,  El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (his Islam name) urged the audience on April 3, 1964, at Cory Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio,to exercise their civic responsibility, the right to vote. Every citizen of the United States had the right to do so, including African Americans. It would only be useful in a democratic society if people voted. Malcolm X urges his audience to elect individuals who are willing to protect the rights of African Americans, a slow yet effective process. He states that if this effort was to fail, then it would become necessary to bear arms and use violence and force to accomplish goals that defend the interests of African Americans. Samuel Ekimyan and Kevin Koseyan presented a very informative speech. Major improvements for next time are: use flashcards as backup not main source of information, look at the audience, and focus on the essence of the speech (be as enthusiastic and passionate as Malcolm X was.

The Declaration of Independence

The Founding Fathers of America, presented as intellectually capable and bright, could not have foreseen that the signing of The Declaration of Independence would lead to one of the greatest experiments in democracy, nor the fact that the republic they created would remember them in a night filled with barbecue, fireworks, and beer. In the document, however, Jefferson and the other writers listed grievances they had against England and King George. These grievances helped shape our country in a very drastic and deep way. "He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures" This is talking about the Quartering Acts England enacted during the French-Indian and Revolutionary war. This affected Americans so deeply that the Framers of the United States Constitution, in the Bill of Rights, wrote the third amendment. The third amendment strictly prohibits the quartering of troops (at least in peacetime). "For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent" This grievance refers to the stamp act, iron act, molasses act, tea act, and the coercive acts. These were all acts that had made Americans feel that were unfair. That is why it is very difficult to pass taxes in the federal government/.

Another Act of Terror. This Time in Kenya

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/22/world/africa/kenya-mall-attack/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

It is always unfortunate to hear about any murder. When a life is taken away from the hands of others, it is a time for humanity to collectively shake its head and sigh. When sixty-eight innocent civilians are murdered, however, it requires immediate action and an immediate evaluation of life. How can an estimated ten to fifteen gunmen enter an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya, and open fire? The answer is unclear, but more importantly why would an estimated ten to fifteen gunmen enter an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya and open fire? The terror was not random. The terrorists were attacking non-muslims. The gunmen were claimed to have been from around the world, but they are all members of the militant organization Al-Shabaab from Somalia. It is very "fitting" that President Obama was pushing for Congress to approve the arming and support of Al-Qaeda rebels in Syria (an organization in which the government "officially" condemns), and now an affiliate of Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, killed one of his nephews and fiance. There can be no positive progress as a species if acts of unnecessary violence continue. There are no ways to prevent such acts. The only step to take is to lead by example, and rid the world of all the evil that perverts the minds of fellow mankind by committing more acts of good.